For many years, there have been various types of garments available that may be used to adjust a person's figure, so that they will look better. Frequently, these garments include some type of control fabric that is used to hold the stomach or lower abdomen.
In most cases, foundation garments are used for providing the necessary control over the contours of the body. Pundyk (U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,615) discloses one particular multi-panel foundation garment, but there are many similar products in the market place.
It is also know in the industry to provide elastic waistbands in pants, so that the trousers can be used by people of many different sizes. Muse (U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,034) discloses one particular pair of trousers with an elastic band. Again, many such variants exist in the market place.
What does not exist in the market place is a one piece garment which includes trousers (or shorts or a skirt) with a built-in "girdle" panel. There are separate foundation garments, like girdles, and there are trousers with elastic waistbands, but there are no trousers that include a built in girdle panel.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a one-piece garment that is fashionable and also includes a built-in control panel to better shape and define the contour of the figure.